Find Me Underneath My Skin
by KlaineLovelies
Summary: Kurt Hummel. Famous actor. Blaine Anderson? Works at a coffee shop. Both live in New York, but neither know the other exists. When their lives collide, Kurt has every reason not to fall in love with Blaine. He does anyways. Yeah, big problem with that...
1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer- I don't own Glee. Or Smash. And yes, there are some characters from Smash in this.**

**November 18****th****, 2018**

"Britt, I can't tell you enough, I'm just not in the mood for any interviews right now." He held his hand over the phone, muttering a thank you to the woman behind the counter and grabbing his coffee. He turned and sped out of the crowded shop.

_"Doph, your producer is starting to lose his patience with you." _Kurt groaned.

"Bryan can go to hell. I've been working my ass off lately with the movie and the show and my books and my line and I just need some down time." Brittany sighed into the receiver.

_"Bryan isn't the only one. I'm getting frustrated, too. 'Tana got laid off last week and Lady Pancakes is telling me I have to send Lord Tubbington back to rehab, he's been suffering from withdrawal symptoms ever since we took away his ecstasy stash. We barely have enough money to keep the apartment on a 10% commission. And I know you make good money but it's not enough here in New York. Besides, I'm your agent; it's my job to pester you about this sort of thing." _Kurt rubbed his forehead.

"Fine, Britt, here's what I'll do. I'll double your commission and cut down on my charity budget. Just… lay off about the interviews for a couple of weeks, okay?"

_"Thanks, Doph. And you have two weeks. Two." _Brittany hung up the phone, and Kurt shoved it into his pocket.

"Hey! Aren't you-?" Kurt moved his bag over to his other shoulder, hanging his head and speeding up his pace. He flew into the doors of his apartment building, moving to the corner. This happened every time he walked home. He'd stand in this corner for at least 10 minutes, where no one could see him (or get in without a key card). When he knew the followers were gone, he'd sprint up the stairs, unlock his door and-

"Ugh." Kurt groaned, falling face first onto the couch. Rachel stuck her head out of the kitchen.

"How was work?" she asked, stirring a pot of tofu-something.

"Horrible."

"What happened?" Kurt groaned again.

"Bryan is trying to get me to do interviews."

"And?"

"I don't want to do any interviews!" Rachel chuckled.

"Why not?" Kurt sat up, and Rachel handed him a bowl of vegetable soup. "This is for you. Trust me, you don't want to eat what I'm making for myself."

"Becauf," he said with a mouthful of soup. Oh, if the photographers could see him now- they would be rich. He swallowed. "I'm way too stressed to do anything right now. I mean, have you _seen _how busy I am?"

"Judging from the amount of time it took me to clean your room this morning, then yes- I have seen how busy you are." Kurt's eyes widened.

"_You cleaned my room?" _he screamed.

"Relax, I tidied it. As in, threw away those crumped up pieces of blank paper and boxes of take-out Chinese. Don't worry, I didn't touch your projects." Kurt sighed, going back to his soup.

"How did you have time to clean my room? It's Tuesday, I thought you had rehearsal." Rachel sighed, dropping onto the couch.

"I did, until Derek told us not to come in today. Apparently, he's spending some 'reserved time' with Ivy. They probably spent all day fucking instead of working." Kurt's eyebrows raised.

"They're still sleeping together?" Rachel nodded. Kurt rolled his eyes. "You know, I bet any amount of money that's why that bitch got the role. You should be playing Marilyn.

"Right?"

"Maybe you should sleep with Derek. They'll fire that Ivy girl and you'll get the role you deserve." Rachel gasped, whacking Kurt on the shoulder.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Why don't you go sleep with Bryan, hmm? Maybe then he'll stop bothering you about interviews." Kurt scowled, but shut up. "Speaking of the show… _-Isthatokay?Yeah?Thanks!_" Kurt shot up in his seat.

"WHAT?" he yelled.

"Have I ever told you that you're the bestest friend in the whole wide world?"

"Do they know I live here?"

"No. I wouldn't break that promise, and you know it." Kurt groaned.

"How long until they're here?" The doorbell rang. "Fuck! Rachel, I'm going to kill you!" He said, grabbing his bowl of soup and running into his bedroom. He slammed the door and locked it, turning to assess the damage that Rachel did.

It wasn't _too _bad. Rachel had kept her word, and hadn't touched any of his projects. His laptop was still open on his unmade bed, and his fabric scraps were still scattered in their various places on the floor. Over all, though, it _did _look nicer. Maybe he wouldn't kill Rachel. Yet. He grabbed his script off his nightstand and fell backwards onto the bed, flipping through the episode they were filming tomorrow a few times before deciding to just sit and think.

After about an hour, Kurt realized he had to pee.

Really bad.

He sat up and listened outside his bedroom, where there seemed to be… Two girls and Rachel talking. No- no. A gay guy, a girl and Rachel talking. He ran through his options in his head.

A. He could try and hold it until they left. No, that probably wouldn't work. For all he knew, they could be here for hours.

B. He could pee in that cup on his dresser. Ew. Too unsanitary.

C. He could make a run for it.

With hesitation, he jumped up from his bed, running over to his door and opening it.

"And that's the guest bedroo-" Rachel said, dropping her sentence. The gay guy's eyes widened, and he gaped.

"You're Kurt Hummel." He said.

"Uhh…"

"RACHEL BARBRA BERRY!" The blonde girl screamed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HIDING FROM US? First you record a song for Darren Erthwiser, and now Kurt Hummel is in your guest bedroom? What is going on?" Rachel shot a death glare at Kurt for coming out of his room.

"Well…" Kurt said.

"Kurt's my boyfriend." Rachel said, wrapping her arm around Kurt's waist. Kurt's eyes widened.

"What?" he spat out.

"Yeah. We've, uh, been dating for about a month now." She leaned over to hiss in Kurt's ear. "Go along with it." She turned back to her friends. "Jessica, Bobby, let me properly introduce you. This is Kurt. Kurt, this is Jessica and Bobby." The gay guy, Bobby, looked Kurt up and down.

"And I thought you were gay." Kurt put on a forced smile.

"Nope, just flamboyantly straight." He said. Rachel nodded.

"Yep! Like Sam, he's un-flamboyantly gay, for lack of a better phrase. Kurt? Flamboyantly straight." Kurt smiled.

"If you'll excuse us for a minute." He closed his door and grabbed Rachel's arm, pulling her down the hall and into her bedroom. He walked in, smiling once more at the guests before closing the door behind him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He whispered. Rachel's eyes were wide, and she was pulling her hair.

"I don't know! I was freaking out and I didn't know what to tell them-"

"How about the _truth?_"

"It's your fault for coming out of your bedroom!"

"I had to pee!"

"Well, you could have peed out the window!"

"That's _illegal!_" Rachel groaned, defeated.

"Well how do _you _suggest I fix this, hmm?" He shook his head.

"Nuh-uh. You're going to wait right here while I handle this, got it?" He walked out of Rachel's door and down the hall. "Hey, guys. Yeah, uh- Rachel was an idiot, and told you guys that she and I are dating. Well, not true. I've known her since high school, and I'm just visiting. Buh-bye, you can go see her in the room at the end of the hall." He walked into his bedroom, slamming the door shut. He heard hushed whispers on the other side.

_ "Does this mean he's gay?"_

_ "I think so. I saw a Zac Efron poster in his room when he opened his door."_

Kurt glanced up, cursing and ripping down the poster.

**November 19****th****, 2018**

Kurt walked into his normal coffee shop only to have to turn right back around.

"Kurt Hummel?"

"Sierra, you would not believe who's at the same coffee shop as me right now…"

"Mr. Hummel? Can I get a picture with you?"

"Mommy! That's the boy who plays Chris Colfer on Lights!"

Kurt sped out of the doors, rushing down the street in an attempt to get away from the crowd. He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket, putting them on. He passed his apartment building, contemplating whether or not to go back up to his apartment. He decided against it. Caffeine was the bigger priority right now. His eyes darted around, and landed on a sign.

_The Bean_

He smiled. The name was cheesy, and clichéd, but it was coffee. He snaked into the shop, examining the sight around him. Wow, it was small. There were three tables, a counter, and a kitchen about the size of a bathroom.

He loved it.

There was no one in the shop except two baristas, one of which was washing coffee mugs while the other read a magazine on the counter. Kurt looked up at the menu, which consisted of an impressive variety of coffee orders. He walked up and took a glance at the magazine the man was reading.

"Vogue?" He asked. The man's head snapped up.

"Uh, yeah." He said, a smile forming on his lips. Kurt gasped. Wow. Just, wow. He stared down into the man's deep hazel eyes, feeling a fire rush through his chest. Kurt bit the inside of his bottom lip.

"I'll have a Low-Fat Grande Mocha with extra whip." The man scrambled up, smiling and nodding his head. Kurt shook himself out of his daze, and realized that the man was probably having an internal freak out moment. A few minutes later, a mug was being handed to him.

"That'll be 3.99." he said. Kurt paid, glancing down at the man's nametag.

"Thanks, Blaine."

"You're welcome, uh-" he paused for a moment. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" Kurt laughed at the man's dapperness, and raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Blaine looked around confusedly.

"Uhh, yeah?"

"You mean, you don't know who I am?" Kurt asked.

"Should I? I mean, I don't remember having any one night stands, but hey- knowing my roommates- I probably got a little too wasted at a party or two." Kurt grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm Kurt." He extended his hand, and Blaine shook it. "Hey, would you like to, uhm, sit with me or something? I don't have to leave for work for another thirty minutes or so, and it doesn't look like you guys are too busy." Blaine smiled.

"I'd love to." He glanced over at the other barista, and then walked around the counter, sitting across from Kurt at one of the tables.

"So…"

"So." Kurt took a sip from his coffee, eyes widening.

"Wow. This- this is good." Blaine smiled.

"Right? Our coffee is totally awesome."

"_How _are you guys not flooded with customers?" Blaine shrugged.

"We're pretty hidden. We get just enough during the early morning to keep the business up and running."

"Wow. How long have you been working here?"

"Since I got out of college, so, probably about a year." Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"How can you _afford _to _live?_" Blaine laughed.

"I live with four other guys, we split the rent."

"Let me guess, when you were growing up, you told _everyone _you wanted to be a barista at a small-ass coffee shop in New York?" Blaine shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"No, actually. I've wanted to write songs since I was old enough to think. I majored in Music Theory in college. I'm a songwriter in my spare time." Kurt smiled. A songwriter? Mm. If they went out, then he'd get love songs and-

_Bad Kurt! You don't even know he's gay. Or interested. Or a good singer._

_ Besides, you can't be dating anyone right now. The media's a bitch._

"Really? Do you have any songs recorded?" Blaine chuckled and shook his head.

"Nahh, I haven't recorded anything of my own. Me, my roomates, and a couple other of our friends are in an acapella group, though. We've recorded a few covers."

"What are you guys called?"

"The Warblers." Kurt laughed, choking on a sip of his coffee. Blaine grinned. "What's so funny?"

"I was in my high school's show choir, we competed against an acapella group called the Warblers." Blaine nodded.

"Well, uh, yeah. That's us. The Dalton Academy Warblers. What were you guys?"

"McKinley High New Directions." The fuzzy geometric caterpillars above Blaine's hazel eyes shot up into the air.

"Oh. Wow. You guys were close. I assumed you meant competed at Nationals or something."

"We tied at Sectionals and then we kicked you guys' asses at Regionals." Kurt said, winking behind his mug. Blaine laughed.

"You guys had that girl with the shnauz, right?"

"Rachel? Yeah. That was her." He narrowed his eyes and studied Blaine's face. "Nope. Sorry, don't recognize you. I showed up late for Sectionals that year and wasn't at McKinley for Regionals."

"Where were you, then?" He asked.

"Heh, heh." He laughed, smirking. "Dalton." Blaine's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you join the Warblers?" Kurt waved him off.

"My friends would have killed me. Besides, I was only there for about a week before my dad decided we couldn't afford it." He looked down at his phone and groaned. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get to work." He looked up and smiled. "It was nice meeting you. I'd love to hear the Warblers some time."

"Well, you know where I work." His face lit up with an idea. "Oh! Wait!" He ran behind the counter, grabbed a CD, and pushed it into Kurt's hands. "This is our demo we recorded. Keep it, I've got tons of extras." Kurt smiled.

"Thank you." Blaine nodded.

"Y-you're welcome." He stuttered. Kurt gave one last wave, stepping out into the cold New York air.

**OoO**

Kurt slinked through the doors of the apartment building, shutting them firmly and running to his corner. He crouched, panting and out of breath. _God _he wished he would have chosen a career _other _than acting. I mean, sure, it was _fun_ and paid good and was everything he ever wanted as a teenager, but never having a private moment was starting to get on his nerve.

He caught his breath, and climbed the six flights of stairs up to his apartment. Sighing, he unlocked and threw open his doors, stumbling into the living room and falling face first onto the couch.

"Someone have a bad day at work?" Rachel asked, her head poking into the room as always. Kurt groaned and shook his head, rolling onto his side.

"No. I'm just tired." Rachel smiled and shook her head, going back into the kitchen to take something out of the oven. "What's for dinner?"

"Vegan lasagna." Rachel yelled. Kurt groaned again in complaint.

"How is that even _possible?_" The brown haired girl walked in with two plates of the weird green-red blob, setting one in front of Kurt.

"Zuchinni noodles, tomato sauce, and various vegetables." Kurt sat up, pushing it around with his fork. "So how did your day go?"

"They found my coffee shop." Kurt said, pouting.

"Awww. Are you suffering from caffeine withdrawal?"

"No. I found a new one. It's about as big as my bedroom, has blinds on its windows, extraordinarily _un_busy, and hidden behind a bunch of cats."

"A bunch of cats?" Kurt nodded with a mouthful of lasagna.

"Mmmhmm. Thif is perty good." He said, gesturing to the lasagna and trying to hide the chewed up mess in his mouth. Rachel laughed.

"Soo, any cute baristas?" Kurt's eyes widened.

"Actually, yes!" He jumped up, grabbing the CD from his bag and popping it into their CD player. He turned to look over his shoulder. "Get this- he went to Dalton in Westerville, _and_ he was a member of the Warblers. I think they all uprooted and moved to New York or something, because they joined back together to form an acapella band. Called the Warblers. This is their demo." He pressed play and jumped back onto the couch with the case.

"He gave it to you?" Kurt grinned and picked up his lasagna. "You _have _to ask him out." Kurt rolled his eyes and focused on the song as it finally started. It was some sort of spy movie theme. Rachel giggled.

"_We three kings of Orient are_

_ Bearing gifts we traverse afar_

_ Field and fountain, moor and mountain_

_ Following yonder star."_

Rachel and Kurt burst out into laughter, clutching their stomachs and almost dropping their food. Wasn't this supposed to be a Christmas song? Rachel grabbed Kurt's arm.

"Who- who sings this?" She asked.

"David Warbler, Trent Warbler and- oh god, Rachel, all their last names are Warbler. I just got so many memories. I used to have crushes on all four Wiggles." She snickered again.

"Play the next song." Kurt grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and hit 'next'.

"_Oooooh._

_ Christmas, Christmas time is here_

_ And Christmas songs you love to hear-"_

Rachel groaned. "Is this their Christmas album or something?"

_"Heard this same song twenty times_

_ And it's only Halloween."_

Kurt and Rachel laughed through the song, giggling at how true it was. The tracks played automatically. The fifth one was Rehab by Amy Winehouse.

"Who sings this one?" Kurt glanced down and sighed.

"David Warbler again. I think he's their lead."

"You _think_? He's sang the last five songs." Kurt thumped her arm, and Rachel stood to go pour two glasses of wine. She handed one to Kurt and collapsed back onto the couch.

"What's next?"

"The Man Who Can't Be Moved. Sang by…" He looked beneath the song name. "Blaine Warbler!" Rachel smirked.

"Is 'Blaine Warbler' another name for 'Super Hot Coffee Barista'?" Kurt grinned and nodded, skipping the last minute of Rehab.

"_Goin' back to the corner, where I first saw you_

_Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move_

_Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand saying:_

_If you see this girl, can you tell her where I am?"_

…

Rachel turned slowly to face Kurt as the CD ended.

"Did. You. _Hear that?_"

"No, Rachel. I'm wearing earplugs."

"You have to ask him out!" Kurt sighed, shaking his head and picking up their plates to go put in the sink. "Why not?" She called out at him.

"Because. I don't even know if he's gay or not." He thought back to the Vogue magazine. "Forget I ever said that, he's definitely gay."

"So what's the problem?" She asked, walking up beside him to refill her wine glass.

"I don't know if he's single."

"Then find out! His voice is just… dreamy!" Kurt grinned.

"I know right? He's a songwriter." Rachel gasped, grabbing a towel and whacking Kurt on the arm between words.

"You- are- going- to- ask- him- out!" She yelled. She tossed the dish towel aside. "Or at least go in and say you're going to just sit at a table and work on your novel or something. Start up a conversation. _Find out if he's single._" Kurt chewed the inside of his lip.

"Rachel, I can't date right now. The media will be all over me in seconds." She paused for a moment.

"Wait, he's not some star struck gay mega fan, is he?" Kurt shook his head.

"He asked me what my name was." Kurt didn't know it was possible, but Rachel's smile got even bigger.

"Come on, just find out more about him. Please? Besides, the sooner you're taken, the sooner Bobby will stop bugging me about whether you're single or not." Kurt raised an eyebrow, setting down the washcloth in his hand.

"Cute chorus guy Bobby?" She groaned, shoving her shoulder into Kurt's.

"I refuse to let you date Bobby. He's my friend." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"You dated my brother."

"Well that's different!"

"Oh really, now? Enlighten me."

"I was dating Finn _long _before he was your brother. I was dating Finn when you still had a crush on him!" Kurt slung the wet washcloth through the air, splattering Rachel with lasagna water.

"Don't you EVER bring that up EVER again, do you understand me Rachel Berry?" She screeched, throwing her hands up into surrender. She giggled, leaning her head on her best friend's shoulder.

"Just go to the coffee shop tomorrow. You don't have to work, right? Just go. Have fun. Get some writing done. If you end up with a date, great. If he's taken, you can always try again after I help you murder his boyfriend." Kurt laughed and shook his head at her tactics.

"Fine." Rachel hopped up and squealed, clapping her hands.

**oOo**

Kurt looked around the corner once before slipping into the coffee shop. He looked behind the counter, noticing Blaine wasn't there, and ordered a coffee. With the warm mug in his hand, he slid into a seat in the corner and set up his laptop. Within minutes, he fingers were already speeding across the keyboard. He glanced up when the bells above the door rang, recognizing the man with dark curls.

Blaine was wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, with a pink checkered shirt thrown over his shoulders. He had on a pair of bright pink sunglasses, making Kurt chuckle once before going back to his writing. Blaine smiled at the sight of Kurt and walked over, sliding into the seat across the table.

"You're not in your work outfit." Kurt said, not looking up from his screen.

"I don't work today, but I had a feeling you'd be here." Blaine slid into the seat across the table.

"Oh really? And what made you think that?" Kurt saved his work and closed his laptop. Blaine winked.

"You know you couldn't resist." Kurt gasped and placed his hand over his heart in mock sarcasm.

"Well I'll have you know that I actually hate you, and only came for the coffee."

"I never said anything about me, but that's good to know." Kurt's cheeks reddened.

"I listened to the CD."

"You did? What did you think?"

"I loved it. David 'Warbler' has an amazing voice. Although, I have to admit," Kurt smirked. "The one singing Man Who Can't Be Moved should have gotten more solo time." Kurt winked and picked up his coffee cup. Blaine's lips slowly turned up into a grin.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something." Kurt smiled.

"Shoot."

"I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie with me tonight."

**oOo**

**Special shout out to my wonderful beta, Musicality95! She's amazing! :) I will try and update every week, but that's no promise considering how busy my life is.**

** Arrivederci, i miei cuccioli.**

** -Ayla**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tuesday November 16****th****, 2018 Cont.**

"I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie with me tonight." Kurt sipped from his latte.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On the movie." Blaine nodded.

"I was thinking Hit By Static Electricity." Kurt jumped five feet into the air, his coffee sloshing out of the sides of the mug and straight onto his laptop.

"Shit!" he yelled, quickly grabbing a handful of napkins and pressing them into the spilled coffee. Blaine ran behind the counter and grabbed a damp washcloth. He handed it to Kurt.

"Sorry…"

"No, it's okay. It's fine. I just, Hit By Static Electricity?" Absolutely not. There was no way that Blaine was going to find out about him on their first date. _Wait. Shut up Hummel, you don't know it's a date. He's probably just trying to be friendly._

"Yeah. Tonight is the last night in theaters. I don't know much about it, but Nick and Jeff saw it last week. Apparently, the lead actor is _hot._" Kurt's eyes widened.

"I heard that it sucked." This was mostly true. Rachel had hated it. "What about City of Bones?"

Blaine's smile grew like a Cheshire cat's.

"I love those books!" he squealed, eliciting a strange look from a lady sitting in the corner. "I just didn't want to drag you into a teen heart-throb movie."

"Are you kidding me?" Kurt asked. He checked to make sure his laptop was still alive. _Yes! _"Team Magnus all the way!" Blaine jumped up and did a little dance.

"YEAH! All my friends are Team Jace!" Kurt giggled. "What time should I pick you up?"

"Uhh… Find out the times and… Give me your phone." Blaine dug in his pocket and held it out. Kurt tapped in his number. "Text me when. I'll meet you outside of here." Blaine took his phone back.

"Sounds like a date."

Kurt grinned.

**OoO**

"Rachel, I swear to fucking god if you don't get my shirt out of the dryer and bring it to me I will creep up on you in your sleep and stab you multiple times in your voice box!"

"Calm down, Mr. McFussy pants. It still has a minute left."

"It's dry! Bring it to me! I have to leave in four minutes!" Kurt heard Rachel grumble something from the other room. "What did you say? Care to repeat it for all to hear?" He brushed his hair into a coif before smoothing it down again. Coifs were signature Kurt, and he did _not _want to be recognized on his date. Rachel opened the bathroom door, throwing the purple shirt at a, well, shirtless Kurt. "Thank you!" he yelled as Rachel retreated down the hallway to make herself dinner.

"You're welcome!" Kurt buttoned his shirt up and grabbed his bag, running out into the kitchen. "Love you, Rachel!" he said, smiling. She rolled her eyes.

"Could've fooled me when you threatened to take my life."

"Your voice, Rachel. I threatened to take your voice."

"Same difference!" She yelled, tapping Kurt with her spoon and pecking him on the cheek. "Have fun on your date."

"I most definitely will." He closed the apartment door on his way out and jogged down the hallway. He flew down the stairs and into the lobby, where he slammed straight into another person.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry!" A voice said, along with a hand extended to help him up. Kurt accepted it, hoisting himself up and looking straight into a pair of awfully familiar hazel eyes. The other man laughed. "Kurt? I didn't know you lived here!"

"I didn't know _you _lived here, either."

"Are you okay? That was a pretty hard fall." Kurt nodded, glancing down to see that their hands still hadn't disconnected. Blaine followed his gaze and- _oh. _He dropped Kurt's hand.

"I'm fine. Shall we go?"

"Sure. I got us tickets for the 8:30 showing at the AMC, its right around the corner. I was thinking we could walk, unless you want to take a cab or something-"

"It's fine." Blaine walked out onto the sidewalk, but Kurt's eyes instinctively darted around to make sure no one was watching. After a moment, he walked up to Blaine's side. "Okay, so tell me more about the Warblers."

"Well. Most of us applied to NYU for college, and most of us got in." He shrugged. "Our dorm rooms were pretty close to each other, so we just got back together as the Warblers. Pretty simple. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Where do you work?" Kurt looked down at the pavement as they walked, racking his brain for a decent answer. Acting? No. Writing? No. Designing? No.

"I work for Fox studios. Just office work and stuff like that." Okay, so he wasn't completely lying. Lights was a Fox show.

"I didn't know they had an office in New York." Neither did Kurt. He shrugged.

"Back to you. Where-" Blaine stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked. Blaine laughed and shook his head.

"We're here." Kurt's cheeks flushed.

"Right." They wandered into the movie theater. Blaine handed Kurt his ticket and wandered off to find the restroom. Kurt walked over to one of the movie-poster filled walls and leaned against it, watching the people walk by. He watched as a group of girls walked in and bought their tickets, laughing and talking to each other. He tuned in to the conversation.

_"What movie are we going to see again?" _A blonde girl asked.

_"Shit Fry Attic Ella Trish Stacy."_

_ "Oh… kay?"_

_ "Hold on, let me find the show poster-" _She looked around, scanning the wall that Kurt was standing on. Her eyes landed on the poster, and she cupped her hand over her mouth, squealed, and pointed.

"It's him!" She screamed. "Omigod!" Kurt glanced to his left, where the Hit By Static Electricity poster was hanging right beside his head. His eyes widened, and he sprinted down the hall. He threw himself into a men's restroom, running straight into someone.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry!" Kurt straightened his shirt and looked up. Blaine laughed. "I'm starting to notice a pattern here."

"Sorry. I, uh, needed to brush my teeth." Blaine's eyebrows rose.

"Brush your teeth?" Kurt sighed and hung his head.

"No. Let's just watch the movie, hmm?" Blaine shook his head with laughter.

"All right, but you're explaining once we get out of here, got it?" Kurt bit his lip.

He wasn't explaining anything.

**OoO**

"Holy. Crap." Blaine stumbled out of the dark theater with Kurt close behind him.

"That was, wow. That was-"

"Amazing. When Alec came out shirtless, I swear I almost changed teams." Blaine nodded, tossing his soda into the trash. Kurt pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and slid them on. Blaine chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "It's bright out here."

"Oh… kay? It's getting late, do you want me to call a cab, or?"

"I'm fine with walking if you're okay with it." Blaine smiled and cheesily held out an elbow. "Shall I escort you back to your apartment?"

"Aren't you the dapper one?" Kurt asked, hooking elbow's with Blaine.

"One of the perks of being a prep-school boy. That, and my impeccable hair gel talents."

"I don't know…" Kurt said, reaching a hand up and running it through Blaine's hair. "… I predict you'll be bald by 26."

They laughed and talked all the way back to the apartments. Blaine held the door open for Kurt, who hung his head shyly and walked through. When they got into the elevator, Blaine spoke up.

"Can I walk you to your door?" Kurt smiled softly.

"Sure. I'm on the sixth floor." Blaine pressed the button and leaned against the elevator wall, watching Kurt. The metal doors slid open, and the two walked up to Kurt's apartment.

"I had fun tonight." Blaine said. Kurt nodded silently, staring into the hazel eyes in front of him. Blaine took a step forward, his eyes glancing down at Kurt's lips and then back up into Kurt's eyes. Kurt sucked in a breath, stumbling back as he realized what he was doing.

"I should, I should get inside." Blaine blinked.

"Oh- okay. I'll, uh, see you soon, I guess."

"Bye." Kurt whispered, slinking into his apartment and closing the door. He let his head fall back, tears rolling down his cheeks as he slid down to sit on the floor.

**Wednesday November 17****th****, 2012**

"I thought I was specifically clear when I filled out on my card that I was vegan!" Kurt yelled, throwing his hands up into the air. Okay, he wasn't 100% vegan, but he was definitely vegetarian. And they had no vegetarian options today.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, I'll call the company-" Kurt groaned, stomping off to go get his stuff. He'd just eat when he got home.

"Kurt!" A gruff voice called. He turned to face his boss.

"Yes, Bryan?"

"What were you thinking?" He asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, Hummel. It's all over the internet right now. Need I remind you that Chris Colfer is _gay? _As the actor, you have a responsibility to preserve the image of that character. People are starting to criticize the show for not using a gay actor." Kurt scoffed.

"I don't get it."

"That picture of you and your girlfriend? It's everywhere. It's making Chris less believable as a character that people can connect with." Bryan stormed off, leaving Kurt stranded in the middle of the set.

"What the _hell _is he talking about?"

Jetta, one of the actresses, walked up and handed him a bottle of water. "You and your girlfriend? The picture is all over the internet." She took a swig from the water. "I didn't know you were straight."

"Jetta, I'm about as straight as a rainbow." She shrugged, walking off.

"Google it." Kurt groaned, taking out his iPhone and pulling up the internet. He opened a search engine and typed in 'Kurt Hummel Girlfriend'.

_2,035,000 results for 'Kurt Hummel Girlfriend'_

Kurt's eyes flew open at the pictures that popped up.

It was Rachel.

They thought Rachel was his girlfriend.

The first picture was of the two holding hands and shopping. The second was them at the ice cream shop, sharing a bowl of ice cream and Rachel's head resting on his shoulder. The third was the two walking back into their apartment building.

He scrolled through the rest of the pictures, his eyebrows furrowing. He stormed to get his stuff and left the set with a huff, hailing a cab outside the building.

"Jimmy's Dance Studio." He muttered, reading the articles that had been written about the two. Apparently, they had been dating for about three months now and had kept it under wraps the whole time. The two were living together in the Richmond Apartment Complex.

When he got to the studio, he paid the driver and stormed into the building. He climbed up the stairs, flying into the top floor rehearsal area.

_"History is made at-" _Everyone stopped, turning to stare as _holy flipping god _Kurt Hummel grabbed Rachel's elbows and pulled her towards the door.

"What the bloody hell-!" a man yelled. Kurt snapped his head to the side, glaring at the British guy.

"I need to borrow Rachel for a minute." He grumbled, dragging her out of the room and into a supply closet.

"What the hell, Kurt!" She hissed.

"Did you know about this?" He held his phone up.

"The screen is black." Kurt tapped it with his thumb, and it lit up. Rachel's eyes widened.

"What the-"

**OoO**

"Kurt, I'm so sorry-" Kurt looked up from the couch as Rachel walked through the door.

"What happened?" Rachel groaned, throwing her bag down and collapsing next to Kurt.

"Apparently, Jessica and Bobby told Ivy what happened. She told Derek, and Tom overheard, and Tom told Julia while Ellis was there."

"I'm so confused."

"You'd have to work with them for a few months to understand. Ellis is like a little gossip. He got my address from the files and stalked us. Got pictures. Put them online. Simple enough?" Kurt rolled over onto his back.

"My life sucks."

"Aw, come on. You went on a date yesterday. That's good, right?" Kurt shook his head. "What! What happened?"

"The date was amazing."

"And then…"

"He almost kissed me." Rachel squealed.

"Really? Wait, what? Almost?"

"I went inside." Rachel gaped.

"Why would you _do that?_" Kurt groaned and sat up.

"For this _exact reason. _The media would be all over us in seconds. And then he'll suddenly be famous and getting stalked and then he'll know who I really am."

"And what's wrong with that?" Kurt sighed.

"Maybe I don't want him to like me just because I'm famous."

"Wait, doesn't he _already _like you? I mean, come on, he tried to kiss you." Kurt ran his fingers through his hair.

"Drake." He whispered.

"What?"

"Drake. Okay? The real reason is Drake." Rachel frowned, pulling a teary-eyed Kurt into a hug. He stared down at his right hand, twisting the ring on his middle finger. He had moved it from his left hand after...

"Kurt, what did he tell you that day?"

"Rachel, no-"

"He told you that you could find someone else."

"I can't." Rachel ran her thumb over Kurt's cheek, wiping away a tear.

"I think you already have."

**OoO**

Kurt tapped his eraser pencil on the paper, trying to figure out what style skirt would look best on this dress. He chewed the inside of his lip and started sketching. He rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. A shrill ring from his butt snapped him out of his creative mode. Kurt grumbled, pulling out his cellphone and picking up.

"Hello?"

_"Doph, you're not going to like this." _Kurt groaned.

"If you're talking about me and Rachel, I already know."

_"Not exactly. You're scheduled to be on Good Morning America next Friday."_

"Brittany!" He screamed, shooting up.

_"Bryan. Bryan booked it. He called to tell me this morning, told me to relay the message."_

"Fuck…" Kurt said, pounding his head back on the wall. "Britt, I'll call you in the morning. Thanks for letting me know."

_"Wait-" _Kurt hung up and tossed the phone aside, letting his head hit the pillow and sleep wash over him.

**Saturday November 20****th****, 2012**

Kurt slid into the coffee shop, pulling off his sunglasses and collapsing into his usual seat. He sat back and watched behind the counter. Blaine was the only one working today, and he hadn't heard him come in. _They really should put some sort of bell over the door._

Blaine grabbed a coffee mug off of the counter, dumping the leftover contents into one sink and then swirling it around in another one filled with soapy water. Kurt stood and slowly walked behind the counter, leaning against the wall opposite of Blaine's back.

"Hey." Blaine jumped, quickly turning to face the voice.

"What are you doing back here?" Blaine asked, going back to the dishes.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Kurt took a deep breath.

"I really like you." He whispered. Blaine set down his washcloth and dried off his hands. He gestured to one of the tables.

"Should we sit?" Kurt nodded. When the two were in their seats, Blaine spoke up. "What happened on Wednesday?" Kurt chuckled.

"My understanding is that we went on a date." Blaine smiled softly and rolled his eyes.

"I mean, after."

"I'm not ready to jump into anything right now." Blaine nodded.

"Can I ask why?" Kurt hesitated "I mean, you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious."

"Just something from the past." He muttered before picking up his coffee.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. We don't have to jump into anything if you don't want to." Kurt smiled and sighed with relief, leaning back and wracking his head for a new topic.

**OoO**

Kurt Hummel had been pretty successful. He had pushed through his high school years, managing to grab the lead in his senior musical 'West Side Story' along with Rachel. Any doubts that they were best friends (and any doubts that Kurt was gay) disappeared during those few months. When you have to kiss your best friend, and you're psychologically unable to develop a crush on her, those types of things happen.

They had both applied to NYADA, flew out to New York together when they made it to finals, jumped around and screamed when they both made it, had both worked their tails off during their summer before college to make enough money to go, and had taken the same classes. For their last two years, Kurt and Rachel split the rent of an apartment. After graduating they both got jobs at the same restaurant, and started searching for talent agents.

That was the hard part. For Kurt, at least. Rachel found the perfect agent the first try, in only two months. For Kurt, it took six failed agents and almost a year before he _literally_ ran into Brittany.

"_Oh, I'm sorry- I didn't see you coming." Kurt bent down, offering a hand to help the blonde woman up. He pulled her onto her feet, and the girl gasped._

"_Dolphin!" she screamed, flinging her arms around Kurt. His eyes widened, and he stumbled back a few steps at the force._

"_Whoa! Uh, hello to you too?" She stepped back, taking off her sunglasses._

"_It's me, Brittany! You know, we went to high school together, we were in the same glee club, we dated for a week, I was dumb as a rock…" Kurt laughed, pulling her in a hug again._

"_Brittany! How are you? Are you and Santana still together?" She smiled and nodded, showing him her ring finger._

"_And engaged."_

"_That's amazing! What brings you out to New York?"_

"_I got out of college a few months ago."_

"_Really? Where did you go?"_

"_I majored in Sales and Marketing, minored in Economics and Accounting at NYU." Kurt's eyebrows raised._

"_Wow. That's-"_

"_I know. I smartened up in my first year, believe it or not. 'Tana says I'm still a little-" she twirled her finger next to her head. Crazy. "-But I'm a lot better than I was in high school, trust me." They both laughed._

"_So where do you work?"_

"_Oh, I work for myself. I'm a Talent Agent." Kurt's eyes widened._

"_Really."_

Brittany didn't need Kurt to audition or to see his resume to know his levels of talent, and before you knew it, they were working together. Within a month, Kurt had already landed a chorus job in Wicked, and three months later, Brittany had him at another audition, this time for TV. It was a huge success, and he got the call the next day saying that he'd be playing Chris Colfer on "Lights!", a show about a group of struggling Broadway actors and actresses.

It wasn't exactly what he had wanted to do. One of the reasons he had originally chosen Broadway was because of the lack of fame. You could still be fawned over and interviewed on review sites, but you weren't easily recognized on the street. And if you _were _recognized, you knew the person had to actually be a fan compared to just another normal person recognizing a face from Hollywood.

But you know? Fame comes with some perks. You get an escort at DisneyWorld. Lines seem to disappear at stores. It isn't unusual to go to pay for your coffee at Starbucks only to find someone has already paid for it, just to be able to tell their friends "I bought so-and-so coffee!"

It came with even more drawbacks. Lack of privacy. Constant yelling. Constant rumors.

The worse had to be that you couldn't find any normal people to love. If they recognized you, then any chance at friendship was normally ruined because of the constant 'Wow, I can't believe I'm your friend!"

Kurt had a wonderful opportunity, with Blaine. He liked Blaine. Blaine liked him. Blaine had no fucking idea who Kurt was.

Kurt just wasn't ready.

Not yet.

**Because of stupid state mandated tests, and my accidentally horrid rush to finish chapter three, the third chapter won't be up for two more weeks :) Sorry!**


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